FOREIGN enterprises will not be promised fixed yields for their investment, according to mainland officials.
Vice-Premier Li Lanqing said China's 22,000 foreign enterprises were capable of obtaining reasonable returns.
The firms complained that local firms were given special treatment, but, in fact, foreign enterprises enjoyed their own preferential policies, Mr Li said, at an economic forum in Beijing.
Vice-Minister of Power Zhao Xizheng said the Government should not promise fixed returns for overseas investors.
Foreign enterprises should bear the investment risks and seek the highest yields under market conditions, he said.
But Vice-Minister of Railways Sun Yongfu said his ministry was considering offering preferential treatment for foreign investors, such as increasing railway transport fees, to ensure the yields were similar to the amounts investors expected.
It is understood that foreign investors ask for a return rate of 15 to 20 per cent.